Massage-vibrator.



W. BROAD. MASSAGE VIBRATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAYI. 19w.

1,23%,6 19., Patented July 24, 1917.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR l m/ 62M UNETED STATES PATENT @FFI@E.

WILLIAM BROAD, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTI'IS TO HARRY E. MoLAIN, OF PITTSBURGH, IENNSYLVANIA.

MASSAGE-VIBRATOR.

Application filed May 1, 1917. Serial No. 165,692.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM BROAD, residing at Beaver Falls, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Massage-Vibrators, of which improvements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to massage vibrators of the electro-magnetic type, and the object thereof is to provide a vibrator small in size, of simple and compact construction, and which may be readily grasped by or attached to the hand of a user, or attached to a belt or pad which in turn may be placed upon the body of a person desiring massage treatment.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, which form part of my specification, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention. Figure 1 is a plan view of the vibrator; Fig. 2 a side view thereof; Fig. 3 a sectional view taken on the line III-III, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 a sectional view taken on the line IVIV, Fig. 8.

In the practice of my invention I provide a vibrator having a shallow casing, that is to say, a casing preferably having less depth than width. Preferably the casing is cylindrical or disk-shaped, and includes a side wall 1, which may be constructed of a suitable insulating material such as fiber-board, a bottom 2, which may be of any desired material, and a cover 3, which, for a purpose presently to be explained, is constructed of a resilient metal. An electr0-magnet is mounted within the casing, preferably in such position that the longitudinal axes of its windings are substantially parallel to the bottom and cover of the casing. While any suitable form' of magnet may be used, I preferably provide a two-pole magnet comprising a pair of coils 4 and a U-shaped laminated core 5. As indicated, the magnet may be secured to the casing bottom 2 by means of bolts 6.

The vibrating element of the massage vibrator is a part of the resilient cover 3 set apart from the remainder of the cover by a. slit. While the vibrating portion may be of any desired shape, it preferably comprises about half of the area of the cover, and is set apart by a substantially semi-circular slit 7. Secured to the outer end of the vi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2st, 191 "Z.

brating portion there is an armature 8 adj acent to the end of the electro-magnet.

In the operation of the massage vibrator, it is intended that the magnet be supplied with an alternating current, or with a rapidly'interrupted direct current. For this purpose electrical conductors 9 may be at tached to suitable binding posts 10, which, in turn, are electrically connected to the magnet windings. The intermittent attracion of the armature to the magnet, eflected by such current or currents, causes the cover to vibrate in a direction substantially perpendicular to its general extent.

It will be readily seen that, because the massage vibrator is of such compact and simple construction, it lends itself to uses for which the usual form of vibrators are not adapted. For example, the vibrator may be readily held in the palm of a hand or be attached to the hand as by means of strap 11, as indicated in the drawings. Also, a number of such vibrators may be secured to a belt or pad for the purpose of giving continuous massage treatment over a large ortion of a body. Its adaptability for the lastmentioned use is shown and explained in the application of Harry E. McLain, Serial No. 165,681, filed of even date herewith.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principle and operation of my invention, together with the construction which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that the construction is only illustrative, and that the invention may be practised by other forms of construction.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a massage vibrator, the combination of a casing comprising a side wall, a bottom and a cover, said cover being constructed of resilient metal and having a slit therein setting apart a vibratable portion thereof, an electromagnet within said casing, and an armature secured to said vibratable portion of the cover and extending to a position adjacent to the end of said magnet.

2. In a massage vibrator, the combination of a shallow casing comprising a side wall, a bottom and a cover, said cover being constructed of resilient metal and having a slit therein setting apart a vibratable portion thereof, an elec-tromagnet within said casing and having the axis of its windings substantially parallel to the top and bottom thereof and an armature secured to said vibratable portion of the cover.

8. In a massage vibrator, the combination 5 projecting substantially perpendicular there- 131 01113130 a position adjacent to the end of said magnet.

v4. In a massage; vibrator, the combination li m i Copies of this patent may be obtained for five ceiits each, by addressing the of a shallow disk-shaped casing comprising a side wall, abottoin and a cover said cover being constructed of resilient metal and having a. substantially semi-circular slit at its outer edge setting apart a vibratable portion thereof, an electro-magnet Within said easmg and having the axis of itsjwindings substantially parallel to the top and bottom thereof, and an arlnature secured to said vibratable portion of the cover and extending tlrere r oln to -apposition adjacent to the end oif sa id magnetl' In testimony whereof have hereunto set yiehan WILLIAM BROAD. Witnessesz j j PAUL N. CRrToriLoW',

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

